Letters: New Presidio roadway a full-fledged freeway

On Wednesday, The Examiner series about Loma Prieta showed how the earthquake had caused San Francisco to turn away from its previous freeway-oriented policies. But there’s an exception to all of this.

In one part of San Francisco it’s as if the post-war freeway building boom were still in full swing. A huge set of new roadway structures is planned for the Presidio. The new Doyle Drive, if constructed as presently configured, would be a full-fledged freeway in every sense of the word.

Despite the obvious benefits of ridding San Francisco of its freeways, city officials are committed to moving ahead with a new Presidio roadway that could fit just as easily in outside Barstow or Bakersfield.

Gerald Cauthen, Oakland Trees are being neglected

Our mayor had hundreds of trees planted throughout The City last year, as PR for his doomed run for governor. Unfortunately, there is not enough staff at Recreation and Park or Public Works to water and maintain the trees. In travels throughout The City, I would guess that one-third to half of the trees are dead or dying.

Recently, trees were being trimmed on our block, and the supervisors stated in confidence there is no way with present staff the trees can be pruned or even watered. Why is The City going forward with a program that cannot be serviced? Isn’t this a waste of funds during a budget shortfall.

Our neighbors requested two very large Eucalyptus trees in the adjacent park pruned several months ago. The crew was supposedly called away before the trees were trimmed by a direct order from the mayor. No one has returned to do the job.

During the big storm on Tuesday, three huge branches fell, one in the park the other two on the sidewalk and street. Is The City waiting for another Stern Grove fatal accident? Winston Austin, San Francisco

No electrical solution

Of course we lost power several times in Tuesday’s record storm. After all, it was raining and windy. Why would we expect The City’s outrageously expensive mandatory undergrounding scheme to change that?

Carl Hoffman, San Francisco

Put groceries to good use

Couldn’t Safeway have just handed out the groceries from that overturned truck to the slow-moving cars crawling along the Bay Bridge? Waiting three hours for another truck to arrive was pretty silly. They could have had all the groceries emptied out much sooner.

I guess no one thought about “good will” for all those stuck in the traffic? Think about all those backseats full of groceries headed across the bridge. Do think those dented groceries would ever show up on Safeway store shelves?